In addition to insisting on fuel efficiency, today's auto consumers demand that the vehicles they purchase be of the highest quality. One sign of a vehicle's quality, as is evident from recent television advertisements, is the alignment of the vehicle's outer body panels. The goal to achieve exact alignment of body panels has remained elusive, however, and the automotive industry continues to seek suitable methods for attaching functional parts, such as doors and hatches, to car body frames.
One known technique, disclosed in German patent number 4,014,385, involves cutting out sections in the body where cross-sectional changes are required and then providing support by welding on a suitable light metal casting. This method allows the body panels to be fixed to the vehicle at a desired location, however, the panels will be rigidly fixed, with the result that later adjustments will be costly and time consuming.
The disclosed technique, while an advance over the prior art, does not solve many of the problems in the art. Specifically, using this technique, it is difficult to finely adjust the door position relative to the surrounding body panels. Such adjustments can only be made by the application of manual force by a mechanic. This technique, in addition to requiring great skill and physical strength, is not consistently effective. Furthermore, it can only be carried out when the door is open, thereby increasing the risk of damage to the door.
Another known technique, disclosed in German Patent 3,726,292, does not involve using manual force, but rather involves a complicated procedure wherein the door is temporarily dismantled, the door frame is installed, and then the door body is installed to the door frame. This installation technique requires numerous exacting measurements in the door post, the roof frame, and possibly other body parts. In addition, this technique stems from the false premise that, in principle, doors cannot be simultaneously installed and positioned on a vehicle.